English literature英国文学复习资料

English literature

I Old English Literature ----(450—1066)

two groups : religious –-on biblical themes ---- Secular世俗的 ---- heroic age ---- --- a protector of people ,fight against the nature.

II Medieval period ---(1066---14th Century)

Fame :1066 Norman conquest ---- three changes—feudalism system established ( politically )

--- Catholic天主教 Church ( Religiously )

--- French, Latin, English (co-existed language )

In comparison with old English literature: (1) wider range of subjects (2) themes concerned with the personal salvation (3) romance love (4) the language is simple and straightforward ?The epic叙事诗 reflects a heroic age ,the romance reflects a chivalric one’ 骑士

Chaucer : 1 titles: the English Homer , the father of English poetry (from),

2 verse : first use 'heroic couplet' , realistic picture of his time , vivid characters from all works of his life , the

1

characters are both typical and individual, his ideas is to pursue earthly happiness, opposed asceticism 禁欲主义, advocate humanism, replace alliterative verse with rhymed stanzas (古英语的押头韵变成 中世纪的押尾韵)

first use rhymed 'heroic couplet' octosyllabic 八音节诗 3.novel: the first modern novel. III Renaissance (14th—17th)

Fame : ① move from feudalist ideas to the interest of rising bourgeoisie. ② recover from corruption of the Roman Catholic Church to the purity of the earthly church . England :

the reign of Henry VIII -----England?s Golden Age in literature ----- Bibles in English instead of Latin readable for common people

-------- literary giants : Shakespeare ,Spenser ,Jonson Sidney, Marlowe ,Bacon ,and Donne

The time of Tudos ---- change monasteries修道院 into schools and universities ------ the English Renaissance flourishing

-------first introduced printing into England and translated books in English(by William Caxton)

2

Traits of humanistic poetry : meter, rhyme, scheme, imagery and argument should be combined to frame the emotional theme. Poetry was to be a concentrated exercise of the mind , if craftsmanship and of learning.

The most famous dramatists : Shakesperar , Ben Jonson, and Marlowe Writers : Wyatt (introduced the Petrarchan sonnet into England) Surrey (brought in blank verse)

Sidney (brought in sestina and terza rima) Marlowe(brought mighty lines to the blank verse ) Spenser( pastoral 农村生活convention习俗 ) John Donne, George Herbert ( metaphysical poets)

Francis Bacon (the first important English essayist, the founder of modern science in England)

I Edmund Spensor

Fame: Spenserian Stanza，the poet’s poet(他的诗节被称为“斯宾塞诗节”，他被称为“诗人中之诗人”) 选读 (Poem)

contains 12 books, speaks of 12 virtues of the private gentleman, each of which tells a knight. Arthur—the heros of heros---plays a role in each of the 12 major adventures, serve as a unifying element. The theme is ?Fierce Wares and faithful loves‘.

3